This invention relates to an electronic component cooling apparatus, and more particularly to an apparatus for cooling electronic components incorporated in an electronic appliance such as a microprocessor unit (MPU) or the like.
Recently, a microprocessor unit tends to be increased in integration in order to enhance performance thereof. Unfortunately, this causes generation of heat from the microprocessor unit to be substantially increased, so that it is required to subject the microprocessor unit to forcible cooling. In order to solve the problem, an electronic component cooling apparatus which is called an MPU cooler is provided for forcibly cooling the microprocessor unit.
Now, such an electronic component cooling apparatus which has been conventionally used to this end will be described with reference to FIGS. 3(A) and 3(B).
In FIGS. 3(A) and (B), reference numeral 100 designates a motor-driven fan and 101 is a motor of the rotor out-rotation type wherein a rotor is rotated outside astator. Reference numeral 102 is an impeller provided with a plurality of blades 103 and fixed on the rotor. 104 is a casing arranged so as to surround the impeller 102, 105 is webs for interconnecting a housing 101A of the motor 101 and the casing 104, and 106 is a heat sink provided on one surface of a base 106a thereof with a plurality of radiation fins 107. The radiation fins 107 are arranged so as to be parallel to each other. The motor-driven fan 100 is secured to the heat sink 108 by means of a plurality of screws 108 and cooperates with the heat sink 106 to construct a cooling unit.
Reference numeral 109 designates an electronic component holder for holding a microprocessor unit or MPU 110 which is an electronic component to be cooled, which holder 109 is generally called a socket in the art. 111 is a holder mounting member for mounting the electronic component holder 109 on the cooling unit while contacting the MPU 110 with the other surface of the base 106a of the heat sink 106. 112 is a printed circuit board on which the electronic component holder 109 is mounted. The holder mounting member 111 may be made of a steel bar or wire of, for example, 1.2 mm in diameter by bending. The holder mounting member 111 includes a unit engagement segment 111a provided with an engagement section fittedly arranged between any adjacent two of the radiation fins 107 and engaged with the heat sink 106 and at least two holder engagement segments 111b and 111c provided with engagement sections releasably engaged with two holder-side engaged sections 109a and 109b provided on a pair of end surfaces of the electronic component holder 109 opposite to each other, respectively.
As will be noted from the foregoing, the conventional electronic component cooling apparatus is so constructed that the engagement section of the unit engagement segment 111a of the holder mounting member 111 is engaged with a part of the heat sink 106. Such construction causes securing of the motor-driven fan 100 to the heat sink 106 by means of screws to require to mount the holder mounting member 111 on the cooling unit. Thus, assembling of the cooling apparatus necessarily requires to arrange the holder mounting member 111 between the heat sink 106 and the motor-driven fan 100 in advance. Unfortunately, this, when the cooling apparatus is to be assembled by assembly-line production, causes transportation and storage of the cooling unit to be highly troublesome because the cooling unit is kept mounted with the holder mounting member 111. Also, this exhibits another disadvantage that when any defect is found in the holder mounting member 111 after assembling of the cooling apparatus, it is required to detach the motor-driven fan 100 from the heat sink 106 for replacement of the defective holder mounting member 111, resulting in the replacement being troublesome.
Further, when the holder engagement segments 111b and 111c of the holder engagement member 111 are kept engaged with the holder-side engagement sections 109a and 109b of the electronic component holder 109, the unit engagement segment 111a is caused to be deformed because of being made of a thin steel rod or wire, leading to deterioration in tightness between the heat sink 106 and the electronic component 110.
Moreover, the conventional apparatus is so constructed that engagement between the holder engagement segments 111b and 111c and the holder-side engagement sections 109a and 109b of the electronic component holder 109 is accomplished in a hooked manner by pushing down the holder engagement segments 111b and 111c by fingers, to thereby cause mounting of the electronic component holder to be troublesome.